Sorry for the wait, guys, but I must warn you before you read this chapter, there is angst and mentions of non-consensual sex. Also, to people who have been worried that this may not be SwanQueen endgame, worry no more, this story will end with SwanQueen, I apologise if the story's not going your way right now but it's okay because SwanQueen is coming and there will be more interactions between the two. Anyway, here's chapter 12! Oh and I do not own OUAT or any of the characters mentioned
Emma sat clenching her jaw across from Daniel and Cora, watching as the two laughed and held a deep conversation. She really did not like this man and, as much as she wanted to break his face as soon as she opened the door, she was grateful that Regina stepped forward and put on a convincing act that even had Emma questioning whose side Regina was on. As well as wanting to beat the shit out of Daniel, Emma felt terrible for scaring Regina the way she did, she didn't mean to get so violent with her but she couldn't help it, the blonde just couldn't believe that Regina would let Daniel get away with what he done to Zelena. Surely there had to be a reason why Regina didn't say anything, every time she spoke about her sister Emma noticed that she always had a sad look in her eyes and when Regina told her that she was sorry Emma knew immediately that she wasn't lying, it was almost like a superpower. The blonde was now getting frustrated with the two people across from her, Daniel was a complete asshole, she knew that all he cared about was money and was the type of person who made more of an effort in front of other people so he could impress them when all he was interested in was money, much like Cora. It didn't surprise Emma at how well they got along although seeing them together made Emma think that there was much more to their relationship. They were hiding something and Emma knew it was most likely to do with Zelena's situation. Just as Emma was about to say something to them, Regina walked in the room with her father and her eyes were instantly drawn to Emma, begging her not to do anything stupid. Emma rolled her eyes and stormed out of the room, she still cared about Regina but she just couldn't be in the same room with her. Maybe she and Zelena should've left when they had the chance; she should be upstairs comforting her fiancé right now but she had to know Regina's side of the story, despite only knowing the brunette for a matter of days, Emma felt like she has known her for her whole life and that's the only reason she is staying. For Regina. For Henry.
Instead of leaving the blonde be, Regina followed her out, excusing herself and smiling at her father as she walked into the kitchen behind the blonde. Emma had her back to her when she walked in and Regina could tell she was severely pissed, whether it was because of Regina or Daniel she didn't know, heck, even Emma didn't know who she was pissed at but she knew that there was more of a chance of her forgiving Regina over that asshole in the living room. Regina let out a shaky breath. "Emma, please look at me."
Emma closed her eyes tightly, she thought she could stay angry with the brunette but after hearing the fear and vulnerability in her voice all she wanted to do was take her in her arms and hold her tightly. Emma knew Regina was on the verge of tears and she wasn't sure if she would be able to stand there and watch Regina break down in front of her, she just wanted her to be okay. The blonde realised that she was going to have to face Regina sooner or later so she decided that now would be the best time so she turned around to look at her. Emma felt her heart break at the sight in front of her, Regina's lip was quivering and she was doing her best to hold back her obvious tears. The blonde had to fight her instinct and done her best to stay in her position, crossing her arms at her chest to prevent her from reaching out to Regina.
"Emma, I just want you to know that despite all this, you have no idea what you mean to me and I am so sorry that you had to find out." Regina said quietly.
"Cut the shit, Regina! I don't care about anything else right now; all I want is for you to tell me what stopped you from helping her. What did Cora do that made you so terrified that you couldn't even help your own fucking sister?" Emma snapped, she didn't want to hurt Regina but she needed the truth.
Regina looked down and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, "I wanted to help her. Believe me, I did-" She began.
"So why didn't you?" Emma raised her voice; she was getting impatient with the brunette.
"Please, just listen," Regina paused. Emma nodded for her to continue. "I wanted to help her, I tried and Jefferson tried but my mother... She told me that everything she done was to ensure I was given the best future and helping Zelena would risk everything. Emma, if I could back and change things I truly would, I would even put myself in Zelena's position if it meant that I got my sister back! I was so close to getting Daniel locked away but my mother told me that if I went anywhere near her then she would cancel all of daddy's treatment and he wouldn't get better."
'Wait, Henry is sick?' Emma thought.
"I only found out that my mother knew everything that happened this afternoon. She refused to help Zelena because she never viewed her as her child so when Daniel done what he done everything was Zelena's fault because Daniel couldn't do any wrong, she was just trying to manipulate them for money. Mother has spent so many years convincing everyone that Daniel is this perfect human being who would do anything for anyone but she will refuse to even acknowledge Zelena as her daughter. She even went as far as threatening to allow her own husband to die if I so much as looked in Zelena's direction." Regina's voice was beginning to crack.
Emma searched for any lies that the brunette may have been trying to fool her with but she couldn't find a single one. She knew that Regina would never intentionally go out of her way to hurt her sister but as soon as Emma heard what Cora had done she was angrier than she was before, she was going to expose Cora and Daniel for the monsters they are but first she had to console Regina. Emma knew she shouldn't be in the position that she was with the brunette but she couldn't help how she felt about her so she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her. Regina responded by resting her head on Emma's chest, she felt protected and safe in the blonde's arms.
Before either of them could say anything, they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. "Jesus Regina, since when did you become a dyke?" It was Daniel.
Regina immediately tensed at the sound of his voice but Emma was quick to stand in front of her as a way of protecting her. "I don't care who you are or how much money you have but you stay the fuck away from Regina and if you so much as think about Zelena I will not hesitate to stick a fucking knife in your throat." Emma threatened him.
Daniel chuckled in response, "And you expect me to be scared of you? Listen sweetheart, if you even think about laying one finger on me I will have you locked up far away and ensure that you never see this family again."
"Oh and would I be locked up in the same place that you should be in right now? You know, for what you done to Zelena and then Cora pulled a few strings that kept you with a golden spoon in your mouth."
Daniel's smirk faded into a frown, he had no idea that the blonde knew about that but he was beginning to panic. He knew that Regina wouldn't keep her mouth shut this time if the blonde did decide to expose him, not to mention that there was only so much Cora could do for him.
"You son of a bitch, do you get off to the fact that you ruined a woman's life that night? That you destroyed her, that you took everything away from her? You're a fucking coward." Emma taunted him.
Regina was starting to get worried, she didn't know what Emma was going to do to Daniel but she knew it wasn't going to be good and she couldn't allow Emma to get into trouble over him. As much as she wanted to step in and stop this before it got out of hand, she didn't know how. If she took Daniel's side she would be betraying Emma and her sister but taking Emma's side was much more of a risk, she could lose everything. Regina decided that it was best she remained quiet, Emma was a cop, surely she would know better than to pick a fight with a man with money, especially in a town she's not familiar with. What concerned her most was that Emma had a temper, she might not have known the blonde long but it after seeing how she reacted earlier told her enough about Emma's anger. The younger woman was going to land herself in some hot water if she didn't choose her next words and actions carefully regardless of whether she was right or not. Unfortunately for Emma and Regina, Cora entered the kitchen after hearing the commotion, she had instructed Henry to stay in the living room and the man would have had a death wish if he disobeyed his wife's command, her tone told him enough. Emma tried her best not to falter at Cora's appearance but she knew that she was in deep shit now, there was no way in hell she was going to get out this now that Cora is involved.
"Daniel, is Miss Swan bothering you? If so then I can gladly arrange for her and that fiancé of hers spend the rest of their trip here elsewhere." Cora's comment only angered Emma further.
Daniel's smirk returned when he saw Cora but before he could say anything, Emma beat him to it. "You disgust me." Emma spat.
Cora turned her attention to the blonde with wide eyes, who the hell did she think she was speaking to her like that. "Excuse me?"
Emma scoffed, Regina squeezed her arm gently as a way of telling her to stop but the blonde just shrugged her off. "No matter how much you deny it, Zelena is still your daughter! She is your child and you blamed her for your mistakes, you ruined her fucking life and you think that it's okay because you don't even see her as your own family! How could one person be so fucked up that she would accuse her own daughter of being the one in the wrong, that you abandoned when all she needed was someone to tell her it was okay! You think you're better than everyone just because you have money but guess what, Cora, the fact that you used that to your advantage makes you the goddamn scum of the earth, you are so fucking lucky that you are not in prison because believe me, you wouldn't last one second, not after everything you have done!"
Cora was slightly taken aback but she didn't allow the blonde's words to affect her, she would keep her composure, Emma Swan would not be her defeat. "And what was it that I done, Miss Swan. What did I do that was so awful? Zelena knew what she was doing; the little slut had it coming." The older woman said calmly.
Both Regina and Daniel kept quiet, they each knew that if either of them interfered now then everything would fall apart, neither Cora nor Emma were backing down from each other and they knew that both women had their own little tricks up their sleeve. For one, Emma is the sheriff, of course she knew what she was doing in a situation like this but Cora Mills was possibly the most manipulative and evil woman you would ever meet, she didn't care about any of the consequences her actions may leave as long as they benefitted her in some way.
"You're sick, you know that? How is it that a woman like you could have raised a daughter like Regina, you know, since you just left Zelena to fend for herself. Imagine if it was Regina in her position, would you have let it happen, would you just have ignored it and abandoned her too?" Emma paused; she knew her words were getting to the older woman. Although she rarely showed it, Cora cared deeply for her youngest daughter and she only wanted to give her life Cora never had. "Or what about this, Cora, how would you feel if your boyfriend let his friends rape you whilst he watched you beg and plead for you to stop? Would you appreciate it if your mother turned you away after you suffered? How would that make you feel? Lonely? Abandoned? Disgusting? Because that is exactly how your daughter felt. You are disgusting, Cora Mills, and I don't want you anywhere fucking near my fiancé, Regina or your grandson. You two are so fucking lucky that I am not going to arrest either of you because that is not what Zelena wants, that's what kind of person she is, but if you ever think about your daughters again, I will not hesitate to go after your boy there and then I will go after you and trust me, going to jail will be the least of your worries." Emma threatened.
Cora and Daniel were both equally speechless, they were shocked that the blonde was brave enough to threaten them but they also knew that she probably wasn't lying. All that was going through their minds was the fact that they may lose everything because of her and they both prayed that she would keep her mouth shut, fortunately for them; Emma was giving them a chance. However, that wasn't enough for Cora, she wanted more from this, she wanted the blonde out of her life. She didn't care that Emma had threatened her, she would get what she wanted and right now, she wanted to rid Storybrooke of Zelena and her pathetic little sheriff and from the looks of it, Regina would be close to follow them. Cora knew that if she could work her magic tonight she would be able to get everything she wanted. It was not Cora who should be concerned right now, Emma Swan should know what is coming to her, no one had ever gotten away with threatening Cora Mills like that.
However, Emma could see that her fiancé's mother was currently in deep thought, she had seen that look before on many criminals she had taken in before they had tried to escape. The blonde smirked, "Forget it, Cora, I've been an officer long enough to know when someone wants to get rid of me. Just remember that if you ever try to lay a finger on anyone in this family, I will take you down faster than you can blink. Now, if you'll excuse us, I believe we have to pack." Emma said as she took a quiet Regina's hand and led her upstairs.
Daniel and Cora stood in an uncomfortable silence, Cora knew she wouldn't be able to do anything if the blonde was expecting her, the blonde was smart, she'd give her that. After several moments of silence, Daniel spoke up. "I assume that Regina and I will not be having dinner anytime soon." Neither of them knew if he was trying to lighten the mood or what but either way, it resulted in an eye roll from Cora. It was a wonder she had even considered him for her daughter.
So, what did you think about this chapter? I love reading the reviews you guys leave me; it's great knowing that you're all still here. I apologise if Zelena's secret didn't live up to your expectations or if you predicted it but hey, at least it's out in the open now! Please leave a review and if there's anything you want to see in upcoming chapters just let me know, until next time